


Wren and the Machine

by BlackRabbit



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 16:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16099502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackRabbit/pseuds/BlackRabbit
Summary: "Hey uh, take me with you." Wren is the newest Hunter in the Tower but she's not exactly ready for this. The story follows some of the missions from the game with character relationship building, unique missions, and a dash of romance in between. But this is no light story. After all, the Darkness threatens to consume the universe...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trying a little something different than I'm used to. This story won't be too heavily lore based (with the exception of Cayde's backstory as I wanted to explore his past a bit and figure out what makes him tick) but it will weave loosely into the main story/missions in the game. This is mostly a story about Wren and how she reacts to and bonds with her friends, fireteam, and Vanguard. Yes, it's a little romance driven, so if you're not into that kind of thing, run while you still can! X'D  
> Enjoy!
> 
> PS. Yes the title is inspired by Florence and the Machine as most of this work has been/will be written while listening to her music. If you'd like to get a feel for it, just find yourself a mix on YT and have at it!

Chapter One

 

“Eyes up Guardian!”  
The first words she’d hear in her new life. Glowing blue eyed fluttered open, hurt at first by the bright light of day as she struggled to focus on her own hands. A small machine hovered before her but before she could say a word it explained that they were in danger and they needed to move.   
“I don’t understand,” she began, taking in the world around her from the rusted cars that cluttered the crumbling bridge, to the wall that stood to her right.   
“It worked, you're alive! You don't know how long I've been looking for you. I'm a Ghost. Actually, now I'm your Ghost. And you... Well, you've been dead a long time, so you're going to see a lot of things you won't understand.”  
In the distance an alien scream echoed across the sandy plains, reverberating from the walls of dilapidated buildings that surrounded them. A chill ran through her body at the sound, a fleeting memory passing too quickly for her to catch it.  
“This is Fallen territory, we aren't safe here. I have to get you to the City. Hold still,” he said, disappearing before her eyes. “Don't worry, I'm still with you. We need to move. Fast. We won't survive long out in the open like this. Let's get inside the wall.”  
Together they ran for the wall, crows cawing loudly as they scattered into the sky. Black feathers and sand kicked up as the guardian passed, stretching her legs for the first time. Had she not been confused and disoriented she might have relished the feel of stretching her muscles.   
“Okay, I need to find you a weapon before the Fallen find us.”  
They passed through a broken door into what she thought was safety, only to be hushed immediately by her Ghost.  
“Quiet they're right above us,” the Ghost said in a hushed tone.  
Overhead she could hear heavy footfalls and voices talking in a language she didn’t understand. She glanced back to where they had come in, every fiber of her being wanting to bolt for the light of day but it wasn’t an option. They had to keep moving.  
Further into the darkness she walked, the Ghost floating over her shoulder and lighting her path as they wound through the facility. Rusty, broken steps groaned beneath her and sometimes she could swear she caught a glimpse of something moving just outside the light.   
“Feels like a trap,” she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.   
The narrow hallway opened up to a larger area and her Ghost materialized once more.  
“Hang tight, Fallen thrive in the dark. We won't. We need more light, I'll see what I can do,” the Ghost said. “Another one of these hardened military systems, and a few centuries of entropy working against me,” he muttered moments before the lights flashed on one by one and alien creatures, she assumed the Fallen, scattered like roaches into the darkness.   
“They're coming for us! Here I found a rifle. Grab it!”  
The guardian snatched it up, feeling much better to have a weapon in her hands. Something about it felt so familiar and yet, as the memory before, it faded like a dream and she couldn’t pinpoint why there was a sense of familiarity.   
“I hope you know how to use that thing,” the Ghost said.  
“I think I do,” she replied, her tone not as certain as she’d hoped it’d be.  
“Eyes forward. Watch your tracker,” he reminded her.   
There didn’t seem to be anything ahead but still she gripped the rifle tightly, preparing herself for battle.   
Quickly but cautiously the guardian made her way through the wall, jumping back as a chain supporting one of the overhead lights snapped, sending the heavy metal fixture swinging toward her. She took a moment to catch her breath, listening into the darkness for enemies before stepping around the flashing light and moving toward a bridge. Red fabric with strange symbols hung around the opposite wall, framing the end of the bridge like a tunnel but before she could inquire about them, a monster jumped out at her from the shadows.  
In mere moments the creature lay dead at her feet, its knife falling loose from its strange hand. Her heart beat furiously in her ears as she stared down at the thing, rifle still pointed at where its head had once been but now was nothing more than flesh and bone protruding from its shoulders. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it as her Ghost spoke.  
“There's more ahead! Keep it up!” he said, expanding in confidence. At least one of them thought she’d make it through alive.  
The guardian passed under the strange banners and onto a platform but before she got too far her Ghost stopped her again. His voice in her ear pointed out a chest but she was wary of opening it. In her mind, everything could be a trap.   
“A loot cache! Let's see what's inside...”   
Overall it was a good call. She found a shotgun and a few shells for it but not much else. She didn’t want to waste any time rifling through the rest of the Fallen junk in the chest. Cautiously she eased into a hallway lit by a strange red glow. Lasers crisscrossed down the length of the hall, stopping her in her tracks.   
“Tripmines! Don't touch them,” her Ghost warned.  
Down the hall she could see shadows moving. “I’m guessing that’s more Fallen?” she whispered, glancing over at her Ghost. It nodded once, and she took a few steps back around the corner. “Look out,” she warned, taking aim at one of the trip mines.   
Her ears rang loudly as the mines exploded, sending shrapnel flying past her. The Fallen screamed, then it all fell silent. Slowly she peeked around the corner into the hall, dust and debris settling from the blasts. Two bodies lay motionless and she knew her plan had worked but it wasn’t the end to them. The further she went into the wall, the more Dregs and Vandals there were. She couldn’t say she was getting used to killing them, but it didn’t give her the sick feeling the way the first one had. It was them or her, and she couldn’t pity creatures that wanted her dead.   
“The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place than I thought. Just a little bit further. Let's hope there's something left out there...,” the Ghost said, zooming ahead down a huge tunnel where giant fan blades spun lazily in the breeze. Water splashed with every step the guardian made toward the light, but she no longer cared about the noise. Light was ahead, and she was going for it.   
“This was an old Cosmodrome. There's got to be something we could fly out here.”  
Her hand blocked the harsh sun as she stepped out into an area very much like the one they had just come from on the other side of the wall. Abandoned buildings, rusty barrels, and an old tank adored the small field but before she could step out all the way a flare launched across the way.   
“Incoming!” the Ghost said as Fallen ships appeared overhead. “Fallen ships! This close to the surface?! Move!  
The guardian didn’t have to be told twice. She ran as fast as she could across the field, Fallen flanking her right size, forcing her into another building far to her left. Dregs and Shanks clogged up the doorway, taking shots at her as she approached. She gritted her teeth and fired, bits and pieces of the Shanks raining down around her, pelting her as she ran past.   
An arc round from a shock pistol slammed into her shoulder, sending her to her knees. Pain flashed through her body, pushing her adrenaline to the limit. She stood shakily once they were all dead, rolling her shoulder until the shock subsided enough to continue.   
“I'm picking up signs of an old jumpship. Could be our ticket out of here,” the Ghost said as they rounded the corner into a small hanger. “There's a ship! Clear them out!”  
A Fallen Captain stood on the wing of the ship, Dregs pacing the floor beneath him. When they notice the guardian they began yelling to each other in their language, rushing to take cover behind crates and debris. They opened fire on her, arc rounds crackling in the air. The Captain raised himself to full height on the wing of the ship, it’s four arms raised in a challenging stance. The guardian wasted no time firing at the Captain, bullets sinking into its body. Black blood spattered across the wing of the ship and the alien roared, falling to the ground below.   
The guardian dodged behind a column as the Captain opened fire, chipping away at the concrete formations edges with his shrapnel launcher. She could hear him charging toward her and she took her chance, rolling away from the column and firing at the Captain’s head. Shrapnel lodged in the armor of her boots and bolts of arc energy sent clods of dirt up all around her.   
She took cover behind a crate, leaning out to shoot Dregs while also avoiding the Captain who had retreated toward the ship. The creature was heavily wounded, blood pouring out into the earth and metal at his feet but he wasn’t giving in and neither was she.   
Dregs fell one by one but he ammo was getting low. She only had a handful of bullets left to down the Captain once and for all. She exhaled shakily, pushing her breath between her lips in an attempt to calm herself before spinning out from behind the crate and firing on the Captain. He dodged out of the way, teleporting several feet away.   
The guardian shifted her aim and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The rifle was out of ammo and useless to her. At first a sense of panic boiled up into her throat, but her adrenaline kept her moving. She tossed away the rifle, her fingers wrapped around the handle of her knife and she charged the weakened Captain, slicing the Fallen open in one swift movement.   
She stood panting over the dead body, black blood dripping from her blade to be soaked into the earth at her feet. Hands shaking she wiped the blood off on a tuft of grass before sheathing it while her Ghost inspected the ship.   
Alright, let me see if I can get us out of here. It's been here a while. Hasn't made a jump in centuries. We're lucky the Fallen haven't completely picked it clean,” he admitted.   
“Will it fly?” she asked, picking up the discarded rifle and slinging it over her shoulder.  
“I can make it work. Okay... it's not going to break orbit, but it just might get us to the City. Now… about that transmat... Bringing you in!”  
“The city?” she asked, tilting her head. The Ghost never got a chance to answer. Behind her a Fallen even bigger than the Captain emerged from a tunnel in the wall. She backed away from it, pulling her knife out once more. Killing a weakened Captain with a knife was one thing, but she wasn’t so sure she could hold her own against this new enemy. Luckily, she didn’t have to. Her Ghost pulled through with the transmat just in time.  
“We can come back for them when you're ready. Let's get you home,” he said, taking control of the ship to take them to the Last City. She peered back from where they had come and the shrinking Cosmodrone behind them. Whatever she was, whoever she was, lay behind her now. Something new was coming and she didn’t know if she was ready for it.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

 

The Tower was impressive, looming high over the Last City. Dusk was upon them and as far as she could see lights dotted the scenery below. The Traveler was a wonder it itself, reflecting the golden glow of the city in its white surface. Above stars shone brightly in the fading light of day but there was no time to enjoy it.   
“C’mon. I have to take you to the Vanguard,” Ghost explained, leading the way across the small courtyard and down a set of stairs.   
The guardian followed, taking in the sights and sounds around her. To her right a man, at least a couple heads taller than her, stood in full armor, his helmet adorned in bull horns. He spoke in a deep booming voice to a few smaller men around him who seemed enraptured by his stories of something called the Crucible.   
“Keep up,” Ghost urged, and the guardian trotted to join him at the entrance to a large control room with a table in the middle. Three people spoke amongst themselves but upon seeing the guardian at the top of the stairs the man at the far end raised a hand to quiet them.   
“A new guardian?” he asked and the other two turned their attention to her as well.   
The woman raised a brow, the hint of a smile curving her full lips as the man across from her crossed his arms over his chest with a curious tilt of his head. The guardian paused for a fraction of a second when she realized the man was no man at all but a robot with glowing blue eyes and a horn sticking out of his forehead.   
“Yes, Commander Zavala. I found her in the Cosmodrone,” Ghost explained, leading the way down the stairs.   
“I see,” Zavala said, motioning the guardian nearer. The guardian passed behind the robot, giving him a wide berth as she approached Zavala. He gave her a once over and she felt the eyes of everyone in the room on her. “I’m Zavala, Titan Vanguard. Ikora and Cayde-6 are over the Warlocks and the Hunters,” he explained, motioning to the other two at the table. “Well, let’s get you sorted into a class and get you outfitted.”  
“I’ve seen her fight,” Ghost chimed in. “I think she’d make an excellent Hunter.”  
“Very well. Welcome to our ranks, Hunter. Tell me, what’s your name?” Zavala asked, puffing up his chest.  
A name? She hadn’t had time to consider a name. Her cheeks flushed red, eyes cast down to the floor. It would be too embarrassing to admit she had no name but what choice did she have? “I don’t have one.”  
“It’s alright. Guardians don’t remember who they were before their death. Take your time and find a name that suits you,” Ikora said, sensing the girl’s discomfort.   
“Oh, can I name this one?” Cayde chimed in. “I’ve always wanted to name a Hunter.”  
Ikora cut her eyes at the Hunter Vanguard as if to warn him but he ignored her.   
The guardian turned to face him, mouth open to speak, but the words wouldn’t come to her. She had no ideas for a name just yet and she didn’t trust a stranger to name her, but he was so excited it was hard to tell him no.   
“How about Wren? You know, like the little bird?” he suggested with great enthusiasm.   
“You don’t have to let him name you,” Ikora said, planting her hands on her hips. The name wasn’t bad; it was actually much better than she’d been expecting from him, but their new guardian seemed to be a little on the quiet side and she didn’t want her to feel railroaded into a name she didn’t like.   
“It’s okay,” the guardian said. “I can’t think of anything anyway.”  
“Good! Wren it is,” Cayde said, clapping his hands together. Wren could swear that his robotic face looked pleased. “Let’s get you some better gear and a cloak and you’ll be all set.”  
“Don’t take too long Cayde. The Speaker will want to meet her soon,” Zavala said as Cayde motioned Wren to follow him.  
“Yeah yeah,” he waved over his shoulder. “You hungry, kid? You gotta be hungry. I mean, you haven’t eaten in like… 500 years. What say we go get some food? I know this great little ramen shop. You like spicy ramen? I guess you wouldn’t know that.”  
Wren stared at him, blinking, as he rambled on. What on earth was he talking about? His eyes met hers and she knew she must have had a look on her face because he chuckled and shook his head.   
“Sorry. I don’t get out of that control room enough. We’re Hunters, you and me. We don’t belong caged up in here. We’re meant to be out there, beyond the City walls with a Sparrow between our knees and wind in our cloaks.”  
“Sparrow?”  
“Oh yeah, no Sparrow yet. Trust me, kid, you’re gonna love it,” he said as they entered the Vault.   
Wren stood in awe at the massive room; rows upon rows of helmets, boots, chest pieces, and gauntlets. Weapons of every type hung up on the walls, tags dangling from their trigger guards. Chests were pushed against the walls on all sides and each was labeled according to its contents. Cayde-6 poked through some crates and walked the isles picking up gear as he went before finally returning to Wren.  
“This is the Vault. We keep all our gear here when we’re not using it. Everything’s labeled and organized so you don’t have to worry about losing your stuff. Sorry I don’t have anything better for you but you’ll find plenty of stuff out there in the wilds,” he explained. “What type of gun do you want? I’m surprised that rifle you’re carrying got you though any sort of battle. You should turn it over to our gunsmith, Banshee, before you take it out there again. Hate for you to end up with your head on a pike because your gun jammed.”  
“Go ahead, Wren. Find something you like,” Ghost said.   
“What about that one?” she asked, pointing to an unlabeled gun beside Cayde’s head.   
“Hand cannon? A woman after my own heart,” he said, pulling it down and twirling it in his hand before shoving it in his empty holster. “It’s got some nice weight and it’ll get you through, but I would keep my eyes open for something better,” he said. “You go ahead and get changed and I’ll take your rifle and this hand cannon to ol’ Banshee. Just leave your old gear on that bench back there so it can be fixed up and used later.”  
“Thank you,” Wren said, arms full of the gear he’d handed over.  
“No problem, Dove,” he said, leaving her alone in the Vault.  
“Dove?” she asked, glancing up at her Ghost. “I thought it was Wren?”  
“You’ll have to ignore Cayde sometimes,” he said dryly. “He likes to play around a lot.”  
“I see. He’s a talker,” she grinned, ducking into a side room to strip off her old gear.  
“That’s an understatement,” Ghost chuckled.  
Wren laid her gear on the bench, straightening her new cloak before catching a glimpse of herself in a broken mirror. Wavy black hair lay tucked beneath her cloak, contrasting against her pale blue skin. Black paint streaked her face around her eyes, accentuating their vibrant blue. She felt confused and a little afraid, but she looked like a warrior. What was she doing? Everything was happening so fast. A few hours ago, she’d been dead; just a skeleton laying in a car somewhere in the Cosmodrone. Now she was a guardian? What did that even mean? Her stomach rolled, and she covered her face with her hands, pressing her palms into her eyes and exhaling shakily.   
“Are you alright, Wren?” Ghost asked, hovering before her.  
“I need some air,” she said, stepping back out onto the courtyard. Banners fluttered gently in the breeze from a ship that had docked nearby. It helped to ease her stomach some, but her nerves were still on edge. She had so many questions about this world she had been brought back into. Why was this the only last safe place? What was the Traveler and what did it mean to be a guardian? Was she worthy of it? Could she even do what they wanted from her?  
“C’mon kid, let’s go get some ramen,” Cayde said, rubbing his hands together as he trotted toward her but a stern voice from across the courtyard stopped him in his tracks.   
“Cayde, get that Hunter to the Speaker ASAP,” Zavala ordered.  
“Dammit,” Cayde huffed. “We’ve been caught.   
“It’s alright. If you need to get back, I’m sure Ghost can show me the way,” Wren said.  
“And go back now? No way. I’m taking advantage of any little bit of freedom I can get,” Cayde said. “Besides, if we’re lucky the Speaker won’t take long and we can get dinner.”  
“Is food all you can think about?” Wren asked, immediately regretting the words as she blurted them out. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”  
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, throwing out an arm to stop her when he noticed the shaking of her hands. It was hard for him to tell when the color left the face of an Awoken, but she did look paler than she had before.   
“I’m fine,” she said, avoiding his gaze.  
“Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but the Speaker will explain everything. Just relax, okay?” he said, giving her a hearty pat on the shoulder. “It’s going to be fine. Now get in there,” he said, pushing her toward the bridge that connected the main walk of the North Tower to the observatory where the Speaker waited. He watched her go, peeking over her shoulder to see if he was still there, her blue eyes glowing in the dim light. He flashed her a thumbs up and she disappeared around the corner. She needed encouragement but seeing the fear in her eyes, he wasn’t so sure the Ghost had made the right choice. Only time would tell.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Wren left the Speaker feeling physically calmer than she had going in but her mind was even more overwhelmed. There was a lot on her as a Guardian and she didn’t know if she was ready for it. She surely didn’t want it, as selfish as that sounded.   
“How’d it go?” Cayde asked, pushing himself off a wall nearby.  
“Okay,” she shrugged.   
He blinked and nodded slowly. “Let’s go get some ramen then. I have some guys I want you to meet.”  
Wren followed silently as he led her down from the top of the Tower. They wound through streets and for a time Wren forgot about her duties in the bustle of the city.  
People shouted and laughed, going about their day as if the world outside the wall wasn’t deadly. Smoke from food stalls filled the air with the smell of meats, cakes, and spices that made Wren’s stomach growl. They wove between people at the market stalls, passing under colorful cloth and chimes that hung over the marketplace.  
“Keep up, Pidgeon,” Cayde called over his shoulder to her, waving to people he knew as they passed.  
Wren picked up her pace and stayed close to him, aware that one wrong move and she could be lost in the sea of people. Ghost flickered around, always staying within sight but floating around curiously until he caught sight of the ramen shop Cayde was talking about.   
“There it is,” he said, hovering over her shoulder.   
A giant red, white, and blue neon dragon hovered over a neon bowl of ramen on the side of a building. Across the front of the shop hung red noren with symbols she didn’t recognize. Cayde pushed them aside, holding it open for her to pass through.   
“This is the best ramen shop in the whole City,” he said, puffing out his chest.  
“You’re welcome,” said a cheerful voice from nearby.  
Wren turned to see a tall, broad Exo with bright saffron eyes and matching paint streaked across his face.  
“He only knows about this place because we told him,” said the other man, a shorter lanky Awoken with snow white hair and strange eyes. The right was golden and natural looking for their kind, but the left was streaked cyan and purple and something about it seemed artificial.  
“Yeah, yeah, shut up and get us a table,” Cayde said as the Exo slapped him on the back. As they walked away, he turned his attention back to Wren. “Warlocks. Don’t turn your back on em’ they’ll eat your food when you’re not looking.”  
“Who are they?”  
“The tall one’s Beorn. The other one’s Fransrick.”  
“Fransrick?”  
“Yeah I named him,” Cayde said with a little chuckle. “He had a different name, but he lost a bet and I got to rename him. Isn’t it great?”  
Wren glanced at Ghost who made an opening and closing movement similar to a shrug.   
Beorn waved them over to a table in the corner and Wren followed Cayde a little more closely than she meant to, bumping into him when he suddenly stopped. He peered over his shoulder at her, eyes narrowing slightly.  
“Sorry,” she muttered.  
“You’re a Hunter, kid. Don’t apologize; tell me to move,” Cayde said, waiting for her to speak but when she didn’t he turned away and sat down, patting the bench beside him.  
“So who’s the girl?” the Awoken asked.  
“Wren,” she said before Cayde could answer with some other silly bird name.  
“I named her,” he beamed.  
“Couldn’t have given me something other than Fransrick?”  
“You lost a bet; she didn’t.”  
“Speaking of bets, don’t you owe us two bowls of ramen a piece?” Beorn said, motioning to himself and Frans.   
“Hey now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Cayde said, putting his hands up defensively.   
“You’re broke again aren’t you?” Beorn asked.  
“What? Me? No!” Cayde sputtered. “But I do have this bet with Holliday, so I’m limited.”  
“How much glimmer do you have to lose to her to get the point?”   
“Whatever let’s just get some food,” Frans said, calling over a waitress.   
They took the liberty of ordering for Wren, who sat quietly, listening to them as they insisted on which dish was best before firing off into tales of their recent adventures. Except for Cayde, who told them of times before he was Vanguard. But Wren said nothing.   
Eventually a bowl of steaming noodles with strips of beef, halves of eggs, and scallions in a red soup that promised to be as spicy as they said it would be. Cayde passed around some chop sticks but Wren didn’t know what to do with them.   
“Hold em’ like this,” he said, positioning her hand properly before demonstrating how to use them.   
She caught on quickly, but the first bite made her nose run and the others thought it was humorous. Still, she liked it more than she thought she would and continued to eat while the others chatted.   
After nearly an hour she found herself picking at the dregs at the bottom of her bowl, barely able to keep her eyes open.   
“Well, it’s time I get Sparrow here back to the Tower. They should have a room for her by now,” Cayde said, paying for both of their meals. “C’mon kid.”  
“Sparrow?” Frans asked. “Thought it was Wren?”  
“It is,” she replied before flipping up the cowl of her cloak against the chill outside.   
Fransrick walked beside her back toward the Tower, pointing out shops and telling her what they sold, the pair of them following a few paces behind Beorn and Cayde. Wren wasn’t sure how much of what he told her she would remember but she was getting a view of the world she had been brought back to protect. 

 

It seemed to take much longer to get back to the Tower than it had to get down to the ramen shop and by the time Cayde opened the door to her room, she was practically dragging her feet. He flipped on the light and revealed a small room with a bed pushed against the wall. Fresh blankets were folded neatly at the foot of the bed on top of a trunk. Shelves were built into the opposite wall as well was a wardrobe. Across from the door was a simple desk and a window that spanned nearly the entire wall with heavy black curtains pulled tight.   
“She’s all yours,” Cayde said, dropping the key in her hand. “Get some rest, Guardian. I’ll need you bright and early.”  
“Of course,” she said quietly.   
Cayde closed the door, leaving her alone and for the first time since she was awakened in that dusty field, there was silence. She crossed the room and opened the curtains, revealing a breathtaking view of the Last City.   
Below lights spread out in the bowl created by the wall and a dividing line of darkness split it from the stars overhead. Still the City outshined the night sky, glowing with a golden warmth that made her feel like home.   
“It’s been a long first day,” Ghost said. “What do you think so far?”  
“I don’t know what to think.”  
“I meant what I said to the Speaker. I know I made the right choice with you.”  
Wren didn’t answer. She stared at him for a moment before letting her gaze fall away. She didn’t feel that he had made a good choice in her. Guardians were supposed to be strong. They were supposed to be warriors and Wren… she was no warrior. In silence she made the bed, abandoning her armor in a heap on the floor. She curled up into the blankets, warm and safe, giving in to exhaustion at last.


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Dawn came and went but Wren hadn’t left her room. She stood in her armor, helmet tucked under her arm a she stared out the window over the city below. Ghost had been quietly hovering, but she had a feeling that he was looking for the right words to say. He opened and closed, flashed his light between her and the view outside before finally settling on something to start with.  
“You don’t have to be a Guardian,” he said. “It’s your choice.”  
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this. Those people down there depend on the Guardians to keep them safe and what if… what if I can’t do that?”  
“Wren, I chose you because I felt something great in you. I won’t make you try if you don’t want to; but I will say that you won’t know what you’re capable of if you don’t give it a shot. And I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”  
“I know you will. Hey… do Ghosts have names?”  
“Of course,” he said, perking up a bit. “It’d be confusing if everyone ran around shouting ‘Ghost’ all the time. Cayde’s is Sundance, Beorn and Fransrick’s are Ziro and Vira.”  
“Do you have anything in mind?”  
“No, I’m sure whatever you choose will be great.”  
He said that but the way he was hovering ever closer to her face told her he was anticipating an answer. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been; she hadn’t even named herself.   
“Well… I saw a word while we were out last night. Kiran?”  
“I believe it means ‘ray of light’,” he said, tilting to the side, flashing briefly. “I like it.”  
“You mean it?”  
“I do! You know, you can still choose your own name if you want.”  
Wren tapped the toe of her boot on the floor on her way to the door. What Cayde had given her wasn’t a bad name. It had become apparent that he would likely never actually call her by her name, but in the end, was it something she wanted to change? In a way she liked the subtle teasing. It made her feel like she belonged.   
“It’s okay. I kinda like Wren.”  
Kiran darted out into the hallway before Wren closed the door and he swerved lazily side to side as they made their way toward the Courtyard. Guardians walked around between the kiosks, getting their weapons repaired, picking up bounties, and Wren swore someone was cursing at an Awoken named Master Rahool; something about an engram. She avoided the angry Titan when he stomped by her, still muttering under his breath, and hastened toward the Command Center.   
The Vanguard could be heard chatting among themselves, but she was too far away to hear what they were talking about. It wasn’t until she got to the last set of steps that they could be heard more clearly. What she heard stopped her on the top step.  
“She’ll learn her place quickly enough,” Zavala said, bright eyes scanning over a map. “Not all Guardians are ready for the call. You know that.”  
“There’s a big difference between first day jitters and flat out not being cut out for it. She doesn’t even act like a Hunter. We are dinner with a couple of Warlocks last night and she didn’t even try to dine an; dash on em’.”  
“She deserves a chance,” Ikora said a fraction of a second before she noticed Wren.  
Cayde, however, did not.  
“Fine. But she’s going to get ripped apart out there, I guarantee it. I’d bet on it if it wasn’t in bad taste.”  
How dare he talk about her like that behind her back? Her throat tightened, fists clenched tight at her sides.   
“Good to know what your Hunters are worth to you,” she stated as she stormed past him to Zavala.   
Cayde jumped a little as she passed, eyes flashing brighter, his hand flying to his empty holster. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”  
“What would you have me do?” Wren asked Zavala, ignoring Cayde.  
The Commander glanced at the Hunter Vanguard and for a moment Wren wondered if he would make her go to Cayde for her assignment, but to her relief, he didn’t.   
“A team of Guardians was sent to the moon and they’ve gone missing. I need you to survey the situation.”  
“Yessir,” Wren said, turning on her heel. Her trust in Cayde had been shattered but deeper still she felt like a fool for trusting him in the first place. He’d been nice to her, helped her, and made her feel she belonged despite her anxiety. He was supposed to be her mentor. She was supposed to trust him. Right?  
It occurred to her that she only had a base understanding on what to expect. There were no memories to indicate what a friendship was supposed to be. There was nothing to compare it to. Still she couldn’t shake the crushing pressure in her chest and that instinct was enough to go off of.  
“Hey, kid, wait up,” Cayde called, trotting up beside her. “I’m sorry about what I said. It was a joke, ya know?”  
“You’re a joke,” she blurted out, unable to keep her voice from breaking. Her face burned hot and she looked away from him, hiding her expressions. “Go take your bets and leave me alone.”  
Cayde dropped back, her words stopping him in his tracks, but Wren didn’t slow down. She couldn’t afford to.   
“I’m sorry,” Kiran said. “He really does care about his Hunters.”  
“I may be a Hunter, but I’m not his.”  
“He’s still your Vanguard.”  
“I can’t follow someone who’d put glimmer on lives,” she said, climbing into her battered old ship. “Forget it. I’ll prove him wrong.”


End file.
